Fear of missing out (FoMo) and information overload are key risk factors for employee mental health in the digital workplace, according to new research out of the UK.
Researchers from the School of Psychology and Medicine at the University of Nottingham used survey data from 142 employees to investigate the “dark side” of digital working. Participants were surveyed on their experiences with stress, overload, anxiety and fear of missing out and how these affected their well-being. The analyses found that information – both having too much and anxiety over not having enough – proved particularly detrimental to employees, making them more likely to suffer stress and burnout. Full results were published on SAGE Open earlier this month.
The results contribute to a growing literature investigating the negative aspects of the digital workplace, which has emerged in recent years as a key strategic asset for organisations. While valued for enabling greater productivity and flexibility for workers, there remain many questions about how best to construct the digital workplace to ensure employee well-being.
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In this research, FoMo – a term borrowed from social media use – is defined as anxiety about missing out on both important information and updates, as well as opportunities for workplace relationships and interactions. Information overload measures employees’ sense of being distracted or overwhelmed by the amount of information processed on a daily basis, and having too much information to synthesise when making decisions.
“The glut of information flowing through channels such as email, intranets or collaboration tools can lead workers to worry about missing out on it as well as succumbing to overload as they strive to keep up. To help people cope with information overwhelm, serious and sustained attention should be given to both optimising information management and supporting information literacy,” explained Elizabeth Marsh, PhD student and study co-author.
As such, researchers recommend investing in practices to optimise the amount and flow of information to employees. Their findings could also be used by HR departments to identify policy and training options that would support employees to better access, manage and consume information in the digital workplace.
